Trinity stunned as Oakham seal first title for 20 years

OAKHAM secured a first Schools Cup title since 2003 as they stunned Trinity 31-24 with an incredible fightback.

Their five-try victory from 19-5 behind ends a two-decade wait to win their third title, having been back-to-back champions in 2002 and 2003, and ends Trinity’s 12-game winning run in the competition, which saw them win last year’s title.

Oakham coach Andy Rice, in his final year of taking the first team, said: “We’re ecstatic, it was a mature game of rugby from us. Much credit must go to Ian Smith, who coaches the forwards, but the boys have to go out there and make the right decisions themselves.

“They are now at the forefront of Oakham’s history. The most important page of history is the next one written, and they’ve written a big one today.”

The reigning champions led 12-0 after eight minutes as Kane Fleary powered under the sticks and Max Farrell cruised in at the corner. A strong set-piece helped Johnny Reynolds maul his way over for Oakham, but a flying finish in the corner from Roma Matebalavu gave Trinity a 14-point lead.

Oakham needed to score before the break, and after dominating the latter stages of the half they crucially struck from a clever lineout move, finished off by Julius Timmermans.

The lineout continued to be a potent weapon after half-time as they scored their third and Reynolds bagged his second after breaking from a maul.

Oakham held a onepoint lead after Elliot Powell crossed on the left, and Trinity’s job got harder with flanker Eddie Brown sent to the sin bin and captain Felix Pinder picking and driving from close range for Oakham as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

Oakham fly-half Ben Taylor landed a penalty with a stunning strike from 45m, taking them two scores clear, before knocking over another penalty 15 metres in field on the 22.

Trinity scored one more try as Josh Bellamy’s crossfield kick was finished off by Matebalavu, but Oakham held on.

Trinity coach Paul Roberts said: “Two teams properly went at it, both can be proud of how they played.

“Schoolboy rugby is pretty special, it means a lot to the boys and a lot of people, and hopefully people saw it as a good representation of that.”

Earlier in the U15s cup competition, Northampton School for Boys pulled off a devastating comeback inspired by hattrick hero Callum Tarry to beat King’s College Wimbledon (KCS) 38-21. Tarry’s brutal close range scores and carrying power proved almost irresistible for KCS, who led 14-7 after a double for scrum-half, captain and kicker Max Rawlinson.

But 31 unanswered points, which included all three of Tarry’s scores, effectively wrapped the contest up for Northampton, inspired and led by skipper and fly-half Hugh Shields.

An elated coach, Phil Beaumont, said: “So proud of the boys out there, half of them are in tears as are half of the coaching staff. We are absolutely delighted.”

Old Swinford Hospital had the chance to make history in the Vase competitions, hoping to win the final of both the U15s and U18s tournaments.

The U15s delivered, beating Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School 40-19 in a game which twisted and turned before three unanswered and converted tries took OSH out of reach from 19-21 down. Miles Cutler scored the best of the tries from 60m out.

For OSH’s U18s it was a much less straightforward route to the Vase, but despite drawing in the 70 minute match, they won the trophy after scoring first in a 33-33 stalemate with Samuel Whitbread Academy.

Four tries for Ben Radnor, including an extraordinary second where he caught from the kick off before spinning through and finishing from 25m out helped Whitbread to a 33-19 at the break. But two tries in the final ten minutes for Emmanuel Olaleye and Rueben Uppal levelled the contest for OSH, before Radnor agonisingly missed a difficult last gasp penalty to win it.